


Back to His Man

by Hapkido9061



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Angst, Baby Do Kyungsoo | D.O, BaekYeol - Freeform, Cancer, ChanBaek - Freeform, Drama, Family Drama, Happy Ending, M/M, Mpreg, Post-Break Up, Sad and Happy, Some Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:02:21
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,903
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21887857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hapkido9061/pseuds/Hapkido9061
Summary: Chanyeol left everything behind to chase his dream, even if that meant leaving behind those he loves. But now that he's back in town, Baekhyun's knocking on his door with a baby that he claims to be his. Chanyeol is left with the decision to help his ex-lover out or leave it all behind as he has once before.
Relationships: Byun Baekhyun/Park Chanyeol
Comments: 17
Kudos: 273
Collections: #BabyMakingFest2019





	Back to His Man

**Author's Note:**

> BMF PROMPT #104  
> Pairing : Baekhyun/Chanyeol  
> Carrier : Baekhyun  
> Pregnancy : Post pregnancy  
> Babies : Any of the two (Only one or More than one)  
> Prompt: Chanyeol doesn't know what to feel after his ex makes an appearance with a sick baby in his arms, wanting nothing more than to get help for their child that Chanyeol did not know existed.  
> Author's Note: I hope everyone enjoys this! Baby Kyungsoo has become the cutest thing in my life and I greatly enjoyed trying to realistically write cancer without it becoming a pity party for the character. It was quite the challenge from what I had been conditioned to write in classes. Thank you all and I'm greatful for the mods to put on this fest! :)
> 
> TW: Cancer

The day has been rough. Nothing more than usual, nothing that Chanyeol can’t handle. But it still has worn down his spirit and desire to ever step foot into his corner office again. And it’s only two in the afternoon. His jacket lays discarded across one of the plush chairs in his room. While they are for clients most days, Chanyeol is ready to curl up on one and sleep for ages with his jacket as a blanket. But stress-sleeping isn’t healthy. He knows that from experience.

Chanyeol clicks through the note app he keeps on his computer screen. A reminder to meet with Junmyeon for benefits of rerecording vocals on Mina’s new solo. A reminder to demo the new sample Sehun sent over yesterday. A reminder to respond to the three angry emails from the Beijing branch over not translating lyrics into Chinese fast enough.

A reminder to eat at some point of the day, courtesy of no one but himself.

When Sehun knocks at his door at six sharp, Chanyeol slumps down in his chair. The day has been unproductive at best. Even all of the phone calls he received were sent straight to voicemail. His gray office walls matches his gray mood.

Sehun lets himself into the office as Chanyeol remains motionless against the back of his chair.

“Damn it, Chanyeol,” Sehun begins, groaning as he looks at the stack of unfinished sheet music scattered across the desk, “you really need to get your life together.”

“It’s just been a bad day.”

“Yeah, well, it’s ‘just been a bad day’ for the past month. Junmyeon’s starting to get on my ass about you not having enough creative material to even try and salvage. And you didn’t answer any of my calls today.”

Sehun huffs. Chanyeol could only stare on with disinterest at his best friend. Sehun plops down in the closest chair, folding his legs up underneath his body. He rests his head in his hand while staring at Chanyeol.

“Go through your voicemails at least. Then we’ll head out to eat something if you want,” Sehun suggests after a moment. Chanyeol grumbles but follows Sehun’s idea anyways. He pulls the phone off the receiver and lays it on the table before setting it to speakerphone. If he is going to listen to phone calls, then he isn’t going to hold the phone to his ear.

The first is nothing more than the downstairs secretary telling him a package came in overnight. Chanyeol deletes it with a note added to his computer to pick it up on Monday. Sehun watches on with disinterest as Chanyeol goes through the calls- either deleting or saving them as notes.

“How many more? I’m starving,” Sehun whines.

“Just two left.”

Chanyeol clicks to the next voicemail. Silence fills the line and he is about to delete it when an all too familiar voice echoes in his ears. His body chills. Sehun freezes a moment after Chanyeol, recognizing the voice of his best friend’s ex.

_“Hey, Chanyeol… um… I really really have to talk to you. I, um… there’s stuff that you need to know and I’ve got to ask-”_

The message is deleted before the soft voice can plague anymore of Chanyeol’s senses.

“Why’d you delete it? He obviously wanted-”

Chanyeol cuts him off by standing up. “No. Not today Sehun.” He shuts the sound of the voice into a box in the back of his mind. Sehun follows Chanyeol a few paces behind as the producer leaves his office, forgetting both his jacket and backpack of notes behind. But Chanyeol doesn’t notice, his mind too plagued with the task of shutting out the memories of his past.

They head to the bar with no plans of tomorrow in mind.

At first, it’s nothing more than a beer each with a few pretzels to snack on. The bartender pays the two men in suits no mind amongst his other patrons. Chanyeol tries to keep up his normal attitude of carefree disinterest; Sehun notices and doesn’t comment.

That is until Chanyeol begins to pull the conversation to the past. Of ex-boyfriends and lost love. Sehun opens a tab and lets Chanyeol drink the thoughts plaguing his mind away. Nothing is left but vodka and gin. As the liquid flows, so do the deeper words from Chanyeol’s mouth.

“Was it really him? I could recognize that voice anywhere…”

Sehun hums, pretending to think of what answer will distract Chanyeol from the truth. “It might have been someone else.”

“No no no… I said… I said I’d know that voice! So sweet and broken. And it’s all my fault…”

Right when Chanyeol is about to start bawling and draw all of the attention to them, Sehun flicks him on the hand. “Don’t dwell on him.”

“I thought he was gone from everything. I cut him out.” Chanyeol wipes the snot running from his nose. Sehun hums to let Chanyeol he is listening. “There shouldn’t be a reason he’s coming to me now. I tore apart the one thing beautiful in my life to prove to myself nothing can last. Nothing! I left.”

“Maybe it was an accident. You’ve been away eleven, twelve months and he probably deleted your number.”

Chanyeol’s eyes light up at Sehun’s explanation. His previous meaningful thoughts already gone again to the alcohol. “You’re… you’re right!” Sehun feels his body relax in relief as Chanyeol appears to forget that when he called, he referred to Chanyeol by name. There’s no chance that one person in this world he referred to as his soulmate has forgotten him. And Chanyeol deludes himself, no matter how drunk, that he believes the lie.

His head rolls onto his shoulder before coming down to rest on the bar table in front of him. Sehun gives a sympathetic pat to his shoulder. He asks the bartender to get him a bottle of water for later when Chanyeol needs to start sobering up to head home. As the bartender passes over the water, Sehun pries the keys and phone from Chanyeol’s hand lest anything stupid become of them.

But as Sehun drops the phone into his own pocket, it begins to vibrate from a call. He spares a glance to the caller I.D. The breath stops short in his throat as he sees who it is. The name has been long deleted, but Sehun has always kept it in the back of his mind in case Chanyeol ever called him to reconcile things.

It seems that Baekhyun had other ideas on coming to him first.

. . .

“God, why do you have to be so heavy?” Sehun whines to the thin autumn air. The only response he receives is a groan from Chanyeol and the rustling of long dead leaves across the sidewalk. He pulls Chanyeol the rest of the way out of his car and slams the door shut with his hip. Sehun feels relief as he only has to walk up three steps to get to the front door on Chanyeol’s porch.

Once inside, Sehun all but throws Chanyeol into bed and forces him to drink a glass of water. Chanyeol gulps down the liquid in one go.

Chanyeol isn’t his problem. His love life isn’t his problem. Baekhyun isn’t his problem.

Which is why Sehun finds himself a little confused at his fingers dialing the ever too familiar number by themselves. He tries once with no response. Again. And the same result.

But Baekhyun answers on the third call.

. . .

Chanyeol wakes up to a pounding in his head. It spreads out across his whole body until it feels as if the pounding is the universe itself getting revenge on Chanyeol for drinking. He makes a mental note to thank Sehun later as he sees the bottle of Tylenol at the edge of his nightstand with a glad of water. After the medicine, Chanyeol is ready to sink back down and sleep off the rest of the lingering hangover when the pounding starts up again.

And it’s not only in his head.

He stumbles out of bed in the clothes from the night before, ready to yell at whatever pushy neighbor is trying to get his attention. But the words die in his throat when he flings the door open.

“Can I come in? It’s cold.”

Baekhyun sniffs, shifting ever so slightly to make his point. Chanyeol can’t find a verbal answer so he shuffles off to the side and gestures with is hand for Baekhyun to come in. He doesn’t need to be told twice. Baekhyun gives on last shiver from the crisp fall air before slipping his shoes off. In his arms is a bundle of something that Chanyeol can’t make out, but he moves it from one arm to the other as he strips off his jacket.

“Just set that thing down on the table,” Chanyeol suggests with a clipped tone as Baekhyun struggles to get the jacket off. And honestly, Chanyeol isn’t here for taking a long time in the presence of his ex.

“I will not put my son on the table.”

Oh.

_Oh._

“Since when do you have a kid?”

Baekhyun ignores the question. He unfolds the blanket from around the baby’s head and Chanyeol makes eye contact with a very sleepy, very wide-eyed little boy. He couldn’t have been more than a few months old. As Baekhyun invites himself into the living room, Chanyeol follows without breaking eye contact.

The kid had the warmest brown eyes he’s ever seen.

Chanyeol is brought back to his senses when the baby starts fussing slightly and Baekhyun bounces him up and down on one knee. But the conversation can’t be pushed off. The tension can’t keep growing. Chanyeol sits one the opposite side of the couch as Baekhyun, his body facing forward.

“What the hell are you doing here Baekhyun? The calls, I know I didn’t imagine them…” Chanyeol mumbles the last part before continuing. “And now this? You don’t just show up at your ex’s house out of the blue with a baby.”

“If you ever picked up the damn phone, you’d know why I’m here.” Baekhyun offers no more explanation. It irritates Chanyeol, but deep inside, he knows he isn’t deserving of any explanation Baekhyun would give.

“How’d you even know I lived here then?”

“Sehun.”

Chanyeol sighs. “Of course.” He rubs at his face with his hands, not facing Baekhyun. They fall into silence. Chanyeol is about to get up when he hears the baby start fussing again. “What’s his name?”

“Kyungsoo.”

“How old is he?”

“Four months.”

Chanyeol calculates in his head the time. If he was born four months ago, and Baekhyun had to be pregnant for about nine months, that would be thirteen months ago. And Chanyeol left eleven months ago, and they were together until he left, meaning…

“He’s mine, isn’t he?”

Baekhyun’s face flushes. He gives a curt nod. His eyes find the ground and they don’t raise to look Chanyeol in the eye. That alone confirms Chanyeol’s suspicions more than the actual nod. He collapses back against the couch. What he’s feeling isn’t quite shock- perhaps it’s more of a disbelief that he actually had a son that he had no clue existed.

And that Baekhyun had to go through a pregnancy alone.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Chanyeol bites out. The anger of such a secret being kept from him is raising. “If he’s my son too, I had a right to know! We could’ve figured something out earlier!”

“I didn’t know until you left. And I knew how important that new job was for you, I didn’t want to feel like the tether holding you down. And I didn’t want that for Kyungsoo, either,” Baekhyun responds. His voice is quiet. He speaks as if talking too loudly will finally get him kicked out of Chanyeol’s house.

They rest on the couch in a silence so loud Chanyeol could feel the thrumming of his own heart. “You never would be the one to hold me down, Baekhyun…” Chanyeol isn’t sure if Baekhyun even heard his response. “So what did you come here for?”

“It’s… nothing important. I shouldn’t have even come.”

“Seriously. You don’t call someone multiple times and then show up at their doorstep for nothing. If that’s your answer, then you can leave.”

“I can’t.”

They both are growing tired of this roundabout conversation. Chanyeol prying for answers, Baekhyun avoiding them. Yet another one of the reasons they broke up starts coming to light. At the sight of Baekhyun clutching Kyungsoo to his chest, Chanyeol tries his damn best to push down the resentment building up.

“Then find someone else to bother that’s not me!”

At his short outburst, Chanyeol rises to his feet. He paces across the floor to the kitchen, getting a glass of water to keep his mouth busy and not saying anything else he’d regret. This may be his ex, yes, but Baekhyun’s also the other father of his son. Baekhyun follows him into the kitchen with a cautious step. Kyungsoo remains attached to his hip. Too bad that when he does enter, Chanyeol pauses from drinking his water. “Are you really so desperate for attention that you’d come to-”

“He has cancer.”

Chanyeol’s words die in his mouth. “What did you just say?”

“Kyungsoo. He has cancer.”

“… when did you find out?”

“About two months ago. You remember Jongdae and Minseok right?” Chanyeol nods at the mention of Baekhyun’s old college friends. The few times he’d met the couple, they’d been cheerful and welcoming. He wonders how’d they react to him now. “They kind of… took me in once you left. No one else knew about Kyungsoo. Not until now.”

“Your parents?”

Baekhyun offers a small shake of his head. “There was... um… a car accident before Kyungsoo was born.”

This is the single biggest bombshell Chanyeol has ever received in his life. Baekhyun’s parents were just as close to Chanyeol as they had been to Baekhyun. They also were some of the most upset out of everyone when Chanyeol left.

He runs his fingers through his hair, taking in Baekhyun’s face. There’s not a single trace of a lie in his eyes. Chanyeol honestly doesn’t where to begin with the questions. If he does ask, Baekhyun might not even answer the ones he needs the answers to most.

“What kind is it?”

“Hm?”

“The cancer. What kind does he have?” Chanyeol asks as he vaguely gestures to Baekhyun’s (their) son.

Baekhyun shifts from one foot to the other. Chanyeol pulls out a chair for him to sit down. This isn’t going to be a short conversation by any means.

“Congenital retinoblastoma. Eye cancer. Extraocular, group D. I know that might mean a lot to you but it’s… one of the worse diagnoses that we could’ve received,” Baekhyun says with his voice dying out at the end. “The treatments aren’t going too great either. And surgery…”

When he doesn’t finish, Chanyeol coaxes him on. “Surgery is what?”

“The best option but too expensive. Which is why I need your help. I don’t want to have a relationship, or to relight a dead flame, or chase broken dreams or whatever shit those TV dramas spew right now. Kyungsoo’s your son too and, I thought maybe, you could help.”

“And that’s all you came for?”

Baekhyun nods. His eyes are steeled as they lock onto Chanyeol’s, but even steel may melt and break. Chanyeol knows Baekhyun and fragile his heart has been in the past. Not even an hour has passed since he first woke up with a hangover and Chanyeol’s life is upside down. He’s never going drinking again. Chanyeol looks back to the now sleeping Kyungsoo nestled into his father’s collarbone.

“I think it’s about time for you to head back home Baekhyun. I’ll give you an answer later.”

“Jongdae went to work after dropping us off. He can’t yet.”

Chanyeol rubs at his temple. “Where do you guys live? I’ll drive you back then.”

The lack of response to the previous statement is unexpected. Chanyeol can see it in the way Baekhyun’s face falls for a split second before he takes a short breath. He always hated crying- let alone when he had to ask for something so major. “It’s fine. We walk most everywhere anyways.”

Chanyeol cocks an eyebrow. “What? Do you not have a car?”

Baekhyun is quiet at first. That is, before raising his voice only slightly- not quite yelling but the frustration is there.

“We had a car, a house all planned out before you left. I slept at Minseok and Jongdae’s place after selling them. It turned into something a bit more permanent. With Minseok serving in the military right now, it’s just me and Jongdae. I have two jobs. I pay rent. I buy me and Kyungsoo’s own food. I’m not freeloading.”

“I- I never assumed you were.”

Baekhyun is still in a defensive pose until Chanyeol says this. His eyes soften a bit, his body goes less rigid. Chanyeol knows that Baekhyun will be a bit emotionally charged if they leave right now- and it’s not a proper place to leave the conversation anyway. He holds his arms out in a silent question of holding Kyungsoo. Baekhyun is hesitant.

But when he passes Kyungsoo over to Chanyeol, that fear disappears. Chanyeol takes his son into his arms. He props Kyungsoo up on his knee so he can sit and Chanyeol can examine just what he looks like. His nose is a button and (thank whatever god is watching over them, Chanyeol thinks) his ears are small and flat like Baekhyun’s and not his own.

His eyes glaze over Chanyeol’s form, a smile coming to his lips with a bit of drool. Chanyeol wipes it of with his sleeve, earning a giggle from Kyungsoo. The sound ignites some fire deep in Chanyeol’s chest.

Maybe his emotions are flip flopping, changing from angry to accepting in the span of a few minutes, but Chanyeol feels something in his mind crack and open from holding Kyungsoo.

“I’ll help you.”

“Hmm?” Baekhyun hums, paying more attention to Kyungsoo than the conversation they previously had going.

“I’ll help you out. Paying for the appointments, helping you get a car, whatever it is you need.”

Chanyeol is resolute on this offer. Kyungsoo is his son after all. And seeing that beautiful face of his and thinking of how much pain he is in just doesn’t sit well with Chanyeol. But Baekhyun immediately rejects the offer, his face screwing up in something akin to disgust.

“I don’t want your help for me. Only for Kyungsoo.”

“But…”

Baekhyun’s sigh cuts him off. “I don’t want to get involved with you again. If you try anything else, I’ll just figure this out on my own.”

“At least we can agree on one thing…” Chanyeol mumbles, thinking about not wanting Baekhyun back in his life that much either. It’s quite the ultimatum that Baekhyun placed upon Chanyeol. Both are too stubborn to accept what is being given to them, and Baekhyun more so right now in the situation he’s found himself and Kyungsoo in. Once, it was something that Chanyeol found endearing. Now it’s just irritating.

Chanyeol gives in to the terms, eventually agreeing only to help Kyungsoo.

A phone call eases some of the tension. With Baekhyun splitting off to the living room to talk to the other person on the line, Chanyeol takes the time to place a kiss on Kyungsoo’s head. The first one he’s given to his own son. Chanyeol feels a little giddy at that. He tries his hardest not to eavesdrop in on Baekhyun’s conversation.

The bouncing baby in his arms helps. Chanyeol talks to Kyungsoo about all the things he’s dreamed of telling his children one day. Who knows, maybe after this Baekhyun will take him away again without a single word. If Chanyeol loses contact, he wants himself to not feel guilty about missing opportunities.

He showers words of adoration and love over Kyungsoo. His words are low enough that outside of the kitchen, it would sound as if no one is speaking. The conversation in the living room ends and Baekhyun returns to the kitchen. He holds his arms out for Kyungsoo. And Chanyeol holds him a little tighter before passing him over.

“The shop needs some help so I’ll be heading back. You still have my number on your phone from the calls you ignored- don’t block it. I’ll send you the details over his appointments and payments later.”

Baekhyun slips Kyungsoo back into his winter jacket as quickly as he does himself. Chanyeol is left no time to argue about them staying, or even for him to drive Baekhyun back to where he’s living, before he slips out the front door. Chanyeol is left standing in the kitchen with the last remains of chilly air that crept in through the open door.

He makes his way into the living room right where Baekhyun and Kyungsoo had just been. Honestly, Chanyeol doesn’t even feel sure if this whole exchange just happened. There’s not a trace of them left. Maybe this all is just a bad dream.

Chanyeol pulls his phone out and dials Sehun. Baekhyun mentioned something about that brat being the one to give him this address. Probably hoping to see his friends rekindle their luckless romance, not what _did_ happen. He doubted Baekhyun even told Sehun about Kyungsoo knowing how much Sehun might blab.

The ringing stops and a groggy ‘hello?’ can be heard from the other end.

“You gave Baekhyun my number.”

“…hmm.”

“And my address.”

“Possibly.”

That’s all the confirmation Chanyeol needs. He groans out loud, flopping down into his recliner. “There’s a lot we need to talk about. And do.”

. . .

It’s been two weeks since Chanyeol’s heard from Baekhyun. There hasn’t even been a text to let him know that they’re still keeping up the deal that was so hastily forged. Chanyeol thinks that maybe Baekhyun doesn’t want his help anymore with paying for the medical bills. That grates Chanyeol a little bit- knowing that Baekhyun is trying to call the shots on if he gets access to the son he only just learned he had or not.

Sehun sees him stewing in his chair, torn between being mad at Baekhyun or not.

“Just call him. Be the bigger man,” Sehun throws out. Chanyeol pauses in his spinning in his office chair. that actually isn’t too bad of an idea.

But…

“But I’d have to give a reason for calling him.” Chanyeol doesn’t think a ‘just-to-check-up’ call would sit well with Baekhyun. He might feel like Chanyeol is intruding or being nosy. And the last thing he wants is to chase away his ex again.

“Damn it, Yeol, just put down your pride for once and call him,” Sehun snaps with an irritated backing to his words.

If only to make Sehun happy, Chanyeol picks up the office phone. He pulls out his own mobile and scans through his recently missed calls until he reaches Baekhyun’s number. It isn’t saved under a name or anything. Just the ten digits staring at him. that’s all that Baekhyun’s been reduced to in his life.

With a burst of fake courage, Chanyeol types the numbers into the keypad and hits enter. He pockets his own cellphone so the temptation to do other things isn’t great. A soft voice answers on the other end of the line and Chanyeol’s heart skips a beat. Stupid. He isn’t supposed to still do that.

Baekhyun says hello a second time, asking if anyone is on the line. Chanyeol waves Sehun out of the office with a quick flick of his wrist.

“Hey Baekhyun. It’s me. Um, Chanyeol.”

“Oh. What’s up? Anything you called for?”

Chanyeol taps his fingers against the desk to the rhythm of his own heartbeat. “I wanted to check in with you and Kyungsoo. You hadn’t called since we last spoke.”

“Oh, sorry.”

“…so? How’s our son?”

Baekhyun waits a beat before answering. “Okay. He has his second consultation today with his oncologist.”

“When was the first one?”

“Last week, on Thursday.”

Chanyeol fights down the bitter feeling that Baekhyun told him nothing of that doctor’s appointment before, or after until now. He could’ve helped in some way. Or at least, he could have known. That’s all he wants at this point.

“What time is the one today?”

“Three.”

“I’ll go with. I want an overview of what’s going on with Kyungsoo, too.”

The other option is Chanyeol stays out of Kyungsoo’s entire life and forks up the money when Baekhyun asks. (Not that he wouldn’t do that, but it would be better if he knew how his son is. It makes it easier.) And Chanyeol glances at the clock sitting on his desk; it’s a little past two already.

And with his declaration, Baekhyun doesn’t disagree. Chanyeol is a little shocked. To be fair, he doesn’t outright agree with the answer at first, but Chanyeol isn’t shot down either. A sigh comes, then a grumbled ‘fine’. Chanyeol asks for the address which Baekhyun rambles off after digging out a piece of paper that has it written down.

Once Chanyeol hangs up with formal goodbyes, he calls Sehun back into the office. The younger must have been waiting right outside the door with how quickly he comes trotting back in to the room.

“Cancel the rest of my meetings for the day. I need to meet Baekhyun for Kyungsoo’s appointment.”

Sehun nods and, even though he isn’t a secretary by position, starts sending out the emails to cancel what Chanyeol had for the day. Even before he finishes with the emails, Chanyeol is getting up from his chair and pulling on his jacket to leave.

“Tell Baekhyun I say hi,” Sehun calls out once Chanyeol is heading out the door. He waves a hand to acknowledge the younger’s statement.

Chanyeol doesn’t feel the need to speed through any stoplights or ignore all of the laws of driving just to get to this appointment on time. Based on where Baekhyun said it is, it’s close enough for Chanyeol to take his time. When he pulls into the parking lot, it’s still fifteen minutes before the appointment even begins.

Deciding not to awkwardly wait in his car, Chanyeol snags his phone from the passenger seat and his keys to take inside with him. The outside of the building is nothing impressive- jus the same style of medical office as the dentist’s or an optometrist’s. Chanyeol arrives at the front door and spots Baekhyun walking up to the entrance with Kyungsoo in his arms. His breath is coming in short pants as if he ran here to make it on time.

He mumbles a short ‘thanks’ when Chanyeol holds the door open for him to slip into. Chanyeol follows behind. The inside of the pediatric oncology office is just what Chanyeol expected. Nothing surprising about the soft pastel colors framing the walls, or the mess of plastic toys set up along the back wall, or the butterfly and bug stickers pasted everywhere.

Baekhyun passes Kyungsoo over to Chanyeol as he grabs the clipboard from the nurse to check in for the appointment. Chanyeol busies himself with making funny faces at Kyungsoo instead of watching Baekhyun stress out over Kyungsoo’s medical history. It makes him wonder just how much Kyungsoo had been sick before now, and how much Baekhyun had to push off because of money.

He finishes with the clipboard papers soon enough hand hands it back into the nurse. Only around ten minutes passes by before Kyungsoo is called back into the consultation room.

Baekhyun shakes the doctor’s hand when offered and they share a few pleasantries. Chanyeol realizes that this isn’t the first time Baekhyun has been back to this little consultation room. Chanyeol only smiles as his arms are full of baby. The doctor chuckles at the sight of him trying and leads the two and Kyungsoo into one of the private rooms.

Chanyeol slings his coat over the back of his chair and sits down in front of the doctor. Baekhyun slinks in behind him and takes the comfier, plusher chair in the corner.

“So you two are Baekhyun and…” Dr. Zhang trails off. Chanyeol realizes he must have met Baekhyun before, but not him.

“Park Chanyeol.”

“Ah, both the fathers I’m assuming?” Baekhyun nods only once to confirm it. Dr. Zhang clears his throat and grabs Kyungsoo’s chart sitting on his desk. “Well then, just to catch Mr. Park up to speed here as well, Kyungsoo has been diagnosed with retinoblastoma. Based on the severity, we started with chemo paired with some radiation treatment.”

Dr. Zhang looks to Chanyeol to for understanding. “I was aware of that. Baekhyun had previously mentioned it, and he mentioned something about surgery as well?”

He hums. “We had discussed it before, but the surgery is expensive and Baekhyun was not going to be able to afford it. And so we are going to go with our second plan-”

“Do the surgery,” Chanyeol interrupts. “Money is no longer an issue. For either of us,” Chanyeol adds on as he shoots a look to Baekhyun slinking down further in his chair. It’s just now that Chanyeol notices how flushed his cheeks and nose are, as well as the slightly glazed look in his eyes.

Baekhyun looks sicker than Kyungsoo.

Dr. Zhang makes a note in his charts. “Are you sure about the surgery? It would be the best option.” The two fathers nod simultaneously. “All right then. The surgery would consist of removing both of Kyungsoo’s eyes as well as some of the ocular nerve near the back of his sockets. Since the cancer has overtaken most of eyes, I truly believe that this will be the best option to keep it from metastasizing. The radiation and chemotherapy have held it off, but it isn’t doing enough.”

At the opinion of Dr. Zhang, Chanyeol nods and speaks up for both him and Baekhyun. Mostly because Baekhyun is looking as if his mind is drifting further and further away from this conversation, no matter how important it is.

“When is the earliest we could schedule the surgery? I’m assuming doing it sooner than later will be better in the long run for Kyungsoo.” Kyungsoo gurgles in Chanyeol’s lap almost as if he recognized his name and is speaking up in agreement. Dr. Zhang smiles at the little baby.

“Of course. I’ll need to step out a moment to make some calls to figure out when, but I’ll be back. Wait here, if you wouldn’t mind.”

Dr. Zhang leaves, leaving the small family in the consultation room. Chanyeol places a kiss on his son’s forehead and bounces him a little on his knee. He turns to Baekhyun. “Hey, are you feeling alright?”

“Never better.”

Chanyeol smiles at the familiar answer. It’s a dead giveaway that Baekhyun’s sick. He used to always say that when he had anything from the stomach flu to a stubbed toe to a migraine. Some things never change.

“Well you look a little worse than ‘better’,” Chanyeol jokes. “I’ll drive you home after this.”

“You don’t…”

“I know you walked here, Baek. I’m not making you walk back when you’re feeling unwell and it’s supposed to start raining anytime. It’s really no problem.”

Baekhyun grumbles something into his shirt as he curls up in his chair.

“What was that? I couldn’t hear you,” Chanyeol says after a beat. He realizes whatever Baekhyun said isn’t just a complaint at him driving him home.

“I said Minseok’s visiting on leave for the weekend.”

Chanyeol is a little confused at why Baekhyun wouldn’t want to go home if one of his best friends and roommates is back. “Why don’t you want to see Minseok?”

“Jongdae’s at home too.”

“So…?”

“So they’re going to be together. Being loud. Doing things,” Baekhyun huffs as he shuts his eyes against the bright lights of the room. Chanyeol’s mouth makes an ‘o’ shape as he understands what Baekhyun is implying. And not just for Baekhyun, but Chanyeol doesn’t want Kyungsoo to have to bear witness to such things.

He can wait until he’s older for that.

“Then we’ll go over to my place.”

When Baekhyun doesn’t say much of anything else, Chanyeol let’s the room fall into silence. Minus the sound of Kyungsoo’s light babbling, all Chanyeol can hear is the steady ticking of the clock on the wall. Baekhyun seems like he needs the peace and quiet for now. His eyes slip close and Chanyeol is left to watch the steady rise and fall of his chest.

He has the thought that there’s no child seat or carrier in his car. Chanyeol shoots a text to Sehun to leave work and buy one ASAP. When Sehun shows regret at leaving so early, Chanyeol reminds him who his direct boss is. Sehun says he’ll be there with one in thirty minutes.

Dr. Zhang knocks twice opening the door. Kyungsoo smiles with all his gums at the doctor who returns it the best he can. He notices Baekhyun still asleep on the side chair and raises an eyebrow towards Chanyeol. They step outside to let Baekhyun rest for a moment longer.

“The surgery could be in two weeks at the latest. Our main ocular surgeon- the one I’d trust sending such a young baby to- is out of the country at the moment.”

“That’s no problem. What day?”

“Baekhyun usually takes half days on Tuesdays so we could do it that afternoon. If I know him, he’ll need to be back to work by that Wednesday,” Dr. Zhang responds. His forefinger and thumb rub at the bridge of his nose.

“Wait… you know Baekhyun?”

Dr. Zhang looks at him strangely. “Of course. He’s one of my best friends since I moved here from China.”

Chanyeol thinks about just how much of Baekhyun’s life he missed in this past year, how much he doesn’t know. “He shouldn’t be working the day after Kyungsoo’s surgery. I’ll talk to him about it.”

“Good luck getting through his thick skull,” Dr. Zhang comments. “I’ve tried more than once.”

The two men stand discussing the details of the surgery in the hall for a short time longer. Chanyeol mentions in passing that he will be covering all of the expenses for the medical bills at this point forward. And to say Dr. Zhang is shocked is quite the understatement.

“I’ve heard about you from Baekhyun, Chanyeol. And while I can’t say I’ve ever liked the you from those stories or the things you did, I understand. There’s a whole life I left behind in China to pursue this career after all,” Dr. Zhang says, his dimple showing as he presses one side of his cheek into his mouth. “If you’re staying, then stay for good. Baekhyun will never admit it, but I don’t think he can take another loss or person walking out on him.”

“I won’t. I promise.”

Dr. Zhang takes that as a good enough answer. He jots something down on the form in his hand before passing it to Chanyeol. “Take that up to the nurse at the front desk before you leave. She’ll get everything finalized.”

Chanyeol nods and Dr. Zhang gives him one last clap on the shoulder before going to his next patient. Now alone with Kyungsoo in the hallway, Chanyeol decides it’s about time to wake Baekhyun up. He had gotten in a ten-minute power nap which should at least have him feeling a bit better than before.

When he gets into the room, Chanyeol finds that Baekhyun had grabbed onto his jacket and is currently using it as a makeshift blanket while Baekhyun’s own jacket is tucked up behind his head like a pillow. The sight freezes Chanyeol where he stands. His heart strings tug when he sees Baekhyun rub the fabric of his coat under his nose, snuffling and sighing contently at the smell.

Kyungsoo grabs a fistful of Chanyeol’s shirt and tugs hard at it, bringing him back to his senses.

“Hey. C’mon, it’s time to wake up now,” Chanyeol says softly. One hand goes up to Baekhyun’s cheek to check how hot his face is. It’s burning up worse than before. Maybe that nap hadn’t helped anything. Baekhyun says something incomprehensible; he flips over to curl up on his other side in the chair. Chanyeol sighs. He tugs at Baekhyun’s hand until he stands up on shaky feet.

After making sure that the jacket around his own and Baekhyun’s shoulder were both secure, Chanyeol leaves the room with Baekhyun in tow. Kyungsoo is all bundled up in his own chilly weather clothes and Chanyeol coos again, hoisting his son up higher in his arms. The nurse at the checkout desk makes quick work of setting the surgery time. She hands the couple a little notecard written with the time and location of the hospital where the surgery would occur.

Sehun is waiting next to Chanyeol’s car. Rain has started to fall in little drops that are more annoying than anything. The younger man gets out of his own car and pops the trunk to reveal a baby carrier still in the box.

“You driving both of them home?”

“The idiot walked here with Kyungsoo,” Chanyeol gives with no other explanation. He hands Sehun Kyungsoo to hold and fuss over so he can start getting the car seat strapped in. But as he pulls the box out of the trunk, Chanyeol notices how unstable Baekhyun looks on his feet. If he watches, Baekhyun keeps shifting from foot to foot and even tips forward before correcting his stance every few seconds.

He takes Baekhyun by the shoulders and leads him into the passenger seat before continuing with unloading the baby seat. Baekhyun flops down into the front seat, leaving Chanyeol to preemptively buckle his seatbelt across his chest. Even more so that Kyungsoo, Baekhyun and his rapidly increasing fever is making Chanyeol nervous.

Sehun keeps baby talking to Kyungsoo while Chanyeol gets to work. Lucky for him, the instructions for strapping the seat into the car are easy and done in less than ten minutes. Chanyeol steps back in the now rain to admire his handywork. Sehun, who has moved to the interior of his own car to keep Kyungsoo dry, whistles and applauds the effort.

As Sehun makes quick work of tucking Kyungsoo into the seat and making sure all of the straps are secure, Chanyeol checks in on Baekhyun one more time. His body is shivering as if he’s stuck in the artic with no coat even with all of his layers. Chanyeol is just glad that he’s fallen back into something resembling sleep.

“Shit Chan, he looks sick. Like, sick sick,” Sehun comments as he tightens the last few straps on Kyungsoo. “Want me to grab him some medicine? Text me his address and I’ll follow after you if you want.”

“I’m taking him back to my place. There’s no way I’m making Minseok or Jongdae deal with this if Minseok’s back on break.”

“Oh! He still talks to them?” Sehun asks excitedly. Before the break up, they had all been the closest of friends. But sides were chosen, and walls built.

“They’re all roommates. Anyways, grab the medicine and just meet me at my place. Pick up some baby food on the way too, anything that a four-month-old will eat. And diapers.”

Sehun nods and closes the back door. He hops into his car while Chanyeol gets into his. He takes a moment to flick the rain from his hair and turn up the heat. With Baekhyun having such a high fever, Chanyeol tries to keep the heat to a minimum. Whines fall from Baekhyun’s lips- the same whines he made whenever he slept and especially when he had a bad dream- and Chanyeol has to concentrate on driving versus turning to pay attention to Baekhyun.

From the steady rocking of the car, Kyungsoo eventually drops off into a nap as well. Chanyeol is amazed at his son. After what Dr. Zhang talked about and the few things Baekhyun has hinted at, he’s surprised that Kyungsoo doesn’t act like he’s more in pain or cry often.

Chanyeol pulls into his driveway and hops out to get Kyungsoo inside first. Sehun had pulled off at one of the exits before him to stop by the drugstore and had texted him a few minutes ago he is on the way back over. Kyungsoo wakes up when Chanyeol settles him down, still in the baby carrier, onto the floor next to his bed. Not wanting to leave the baby alone for long, Chanyeol makes quick work of getting Baekhyun.

He first tries to wake Baekhyun up by talking to him.

Then he tries to shake him awake.

Chanyeol gets no response other than a few groans. Baekhyun’s face is growing more flushed and sweat has started to drip down his brow by this point. It makes Chanyeol wonder just how hard he’s pushed himself at this point to get so sick at the drop of a hat. Chanyeol undoes the seatbelt across Baekhyun’s lap and picks him up bridal style.

Normally, Baekhyun would refuse and demand that Chanyeol put him back down on solid ground. But instead, he shoves his face into Chanyeol’s arm and keeps his eyes shut so the raindrops don’t get in them.

When Chanyeol gets back inside, it’s to the sound of Kyungsoo starting to cry. Chanyeol holds back a sigh and lays Baekhyun down on top of the covers of his own bed. He picks Kyungsoo up; he wonder what’s ailing Kyungsoo right now. His diaper is still dry so Chanyeol assumes it’s just a hungry stomach that’s causing Kyungsoo to cry out. The tight hold of Chanyeol’s arms around Kyungsoo’s body help quiet the cries somewhat, but not much.

Sehun lets himself into the house with a load of plastic bags. Chanyeol comes out with the crying Kyungsoo. Sehun digs through the bags until he comes up with a box of medication. He switches Kyungsoo for them.

“I’ve got Kyungsoo, you go get Baekhyun,” he says to Chanyeol. Chanyeol knows that he can trust Sehun to make quick work of getting Kyungsoo a bottle. He takes the medicine and a glass of water into Baekhyun. The latter has wrapped himself up in a blanket burrito and is squished to the side of the bed that Chanyeol normally sleeps on.

Chanyeol sets the glass of water down on the edge of the nightstand and sits by Baekhyun. He taps gently on the mound of blankets until Baekhyun makes a noise that he’s somewhat awake.

“I have some medicine for you. You’ve got to take it,” Chanyeol says. He tries to keep his voice no more than a whisper.

“Don’t wanna…” Baekhyun finally gets his complaint out. Chanyeol holds back a smile at how young Baekhyun sounds. It reminds him that both he and Baekhyun aren’t adults fully made from the world yet.

He unwraps the medicine and pops out two of the tablets from the packaging. Baekhyun makes no moves to come out of his blanket wrappings so Chanyeol helps him sit up against the headboard. Baekhyun can barely keep his eyes open long enough to swallow the pills and the glass of water. When he’s done, he hands them off to Chanyeol.

But as Chanyeol stands to leave the room, Baekhyun grabs onto his pants to keep him.

“Kyungsoo?”

“With Sehun. They’re doing fine,” Chanyeol reassures. He brushes a sweaty piece of hair from Baekhyun’s forehead. He already plans to come back in with a cool washcloth. “Don’t worry about him.”

“Will you… stay?”

Chanyeol’s mind tells him he should say no. This is his ex. The one who wanted no help with anything of his own, who else kept no contact for the past year, who selfishly kept their son a secret. But he’s also the one that trusts Chanyeol to help, who is wanting him in a moment of weakness.

“Let me put this away first.”

He grabs the box of medicine and the empty glass of water. Chanyeol pretends that Baekhyun’s whines for him not to leave yet don’t affect him like they do. In the kitchen, Sehun is dancing around with Kyungsoo in his arms, singing along to some song playing quietly on the radio. Every few steps, Sehun pauses and holds Kyungsoo out as if he’s singing directly to the baby. Maybe Chanyeol should find someone for Sehun so he can have his own baby if he’s this excited over Kyungsoo.

Chanyeol clears his throat to alert Sehun that he’s coming into the room. Sehun’s face blushes as his caught in the act.

“Can you keep Kyungsoo company a bit longer?”

“Why? You want to stay with Baekhyun?” Sehun teases. Chanyeol doesn’t answer, instead choosing to refill the water glass along with a bowl of cold water and a washcloth. “You know, I never agreed with you leaving like you did.”

“What?”

Sehun shrugs, moving Kyungsoo up to his shoulder to lean on. “I know you wanted to ‘chase your dream’ or whatever but leaving like you did was sudden. You didn’t give Baekhyun any option other than go with you or break up.”

Chanyeol doesn’t answer. Mostly, because he doesn’t want to admit that Sehun is right.

“Would knowing Kyungsoo was coming have changed your mind?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?”

“I don’t know,” Chanyeol repeats. “I’ve only known about him for what, a few weeks at most? And yet I’m already willingly to throw away every cent I’ve made to make sure he’s healthy and happy in the future. But would I be this way if I knew he was coming, if I got to spend all of the moments with Baekhyun while he was pregnant?”

“You would,” Sehun adds on when Chanyeol becomes lost for any more words. “You avoided talking about it, but I know how much you regretted leaving. Your dream wasn’t becoming the top producer in Korea or even in the company. Your dream was Baekhyun.”

And that’s all that Chanyeol needs.

He stops by Sehun to give a kiss on Kyungsoo’s tuft of soft hair. The baby giggles and his milk-drunk smile lights up Chanyeol’s entire world.

Chanyeol comes back to his room to find Baekhyun sitting up where Chanyeol left him and examining the room. He sets the glass down before he spills it. Baekhyun’s eyes land on the picture hanging on the wall.

“You still have that up?”

“I never got rid of it.”

Baekhyun scoots himself over on the bed to leave Chanyeol room to sit. “Why?”

Chanyeol folds up the wet washcloth in his hand and lays it on Baekhyun. He shuts his eyes at the cool feeling.

“Cause no matter what you might think, Baekhyun I never stopped loving you. I never forgot about you or as Sehun just reminded me of, never stopped regretting leaving you. I know this is probably the single worst time to ask you this, but will you take me back?”

“Of course you big idiot.”


End file.
